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| Plants need humus in the soil to grow; people need humility to grow spiritually |
Lent, during
which this is being written, is traditionally a time when we are encouraged to
adopt an attitude of humility towards our own shortcomings. Some recent comments
from leading secular figures suggest, rightly, that humility should
characterise all human life and endeavour, all the time.
In December 2016 the scientist
Stephen Hawking pleaded for “the elites, from London to Harvard, from Cambridge
to Hollywood, to learn the lessons of the past year. To learn above all a
measure of humility.”1 He
was writing specifically with reference to climate change (2016 was later confirmed
as the warmest year on record) and the urgent need to protect the only planet
which human beings are currently able to inhabit.
In March 2017 an American professor
of psychology and neuroscience, Mark Leary, suggested that “the virtue of
intellectual humility should be taught in schools” because “most people tended
to be too confident that they were right”. He defined intellectual humility as “the
degree to which people accept the possibility that their beliefs and attitudes
might be wrong.”
The
report found no downsides to the virtue but acknowledged that “it is possible
that the arrogant may get further in life by the simple expedient of never
being around to take the blame for the fiascos they cause.”2
Humility, in other words, has a wider horizon than personal advancement but may
have a narrower outcome in terms of personal achievement.
Such humility is meant to be the
basis of scientific research – no thesis is accepted until it can be proved,
and all such proofs are subject to review and possible revision. Such humility
is the mark of true humanity. The universe and all it contains is far bigger
than our minds can conceive, so just as our lives are temporary our
understanding is approximate and our actions fallible. It is also the basis of
Christian discipleship; without humility we cannot begin to discern the
purposes of God.
Thinking big, growing small
The English
word humility comes from the Latin humus which means “fertile soil”. It is
the seedbed from which fruitful, useful lives can spring.
“US President Theodore Roosevelt
used to go on camping trips with his friend the naturalist William Beebe. When
they had struck camp for the night, the two men used to sit and gaze up at the
stars, and in the vast expanse of the night sky used to look for the
constellation of Pegasus. Then they would locate a tiny pinprick of light next
to it, and together they would say, ‘That is the spiral galaxy in Andromeda. It
is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It
consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun.’ Then Roosevelt
would say, ‘Now I think we are small enough. Let’s go to bed.’”3
The spiritual writer Thomas Merton
suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, “Humility is a virtue, not a
neurosis. It sets us free to act virtuously, to serve God and to know Him. … Humility
sets us free to do what is really good, by showing us our illusions and withdrawing our will from what was only an apparent good.”4
The 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martti
Ahtisaari, was virtually unknown outside his native Finland where he was once
President. Yet for three decades he was one of the UN’s top trouble shooters.
He was pivotal in bringing peace to Namibia, Kosovo, Indonesia and elsewhere.
The key to his diplomacy was retaining the humility of a low profile. He did
not seek credit for himself, although his work was eventually recognised
publicly. Jesus commended unsung heroes too, of course, even if their reward for
“doing the right thing” was post-mortem (see Matthew 25:31-46).
Writing at the beginning of the 20th
century, the Catholic essayist G.K. Chesterton said that in the past “a man was
meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has
been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is
exactly the part he ought not to assert – himself.”5
Indeed, humility can be a key to
success. The leadership guru Michael Heppell, who describes successful
entrepreneurs and leaders as having “the Edge”, found in his research that “Humility
was one characteristic of most people with the Edge and a constant search for
knowledge was another.”6
So what does it look like?
The growth hormone of the human spirit
Without
humility, there can be no “fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22f).
None of those virtues can co-exist with pride, self-assertion, self-satisfaction
and self-seeking.
Humility treasures service to others,
not status for itself. It cherishes obedience to God and truth rather than the obeisance
of others to feed its esteem. Humility relinquishes its own rights and relishes
the love which cares freely for others. Humility openly values others and does
not vaunt its own achievements.
Humility is the enemy of greed. Humility
asks, “do I need this?” Greed insists, “I must have this.” Humility is related
to generosity. Humility asks, “do I need this?” Generosity replies that I don’t.
Humility willingly tackles the tasks others refuse, without regret, complaint or
bitterness.
Humility listens and considers; it
does not speak or act in haste. It maintains an open mind and never jumps to
conclusions. It recognises its own shortcomings and does not draw attention to
the shortcomings of others. Humility admits its mistakes and does not attempt
to gloss over them.
Humility “does nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit, Rather… it values others above itself, not
looking to its own interests but to the interests of others. It has the same mindset
as Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by
taking the form of a servant. … He humbled himself by becoming obedient to
death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:3-8, slightly altered.)
Think and talk
1. In what areas of modern life do you think
humility is most required today?
2. What can you do to model and foster it within
your own life and circles?3. Who are most likely to win God’s approval and help? See Proverbs 3:34 (quoted in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5f); Isaiah 57:15, 66:2; Luke 18:9-14.
4. What does humility achieve? See Proverbs 11:2; Matthew 18:4.
5. What did the apostles say about humility? See Romans 12:3-8, 15:1-7; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:1-13; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:2; James 3:13; 1 Peter 5:5.
References
1. The
Guardian, 1 December 20162. The Times, 18 March 2017
3. Simon Coupland, Spicing up your speaking, Monarch Books 2000, p. 46; the original source is not recorded but the story is said to be adapted from John Ortberg’s Dangers, Toils and Snares, Multnomah Books 1994, p. 102.
4. Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Burns & Oates 1975, p.63.
5. G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, The Bodley Head 1908, p. 41.
6. Michael Heppell, The Edge, Hodder & Stoughton 2013, p.5.
© Derek Williams 2017. This article may
be reproduced for private or small group study with full acknowledgement.
